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Sunday, June 17, 2012

Organizing Threads
I have a simple system of organizing my embroidery floss. One box (the blue one) has the cool colors and one box (the yellow one) has the warm colors. The only problem is .....it is not working very well.

It is not impossible to get what I need. I can sift through and pull out a wad or skein of color I need for a project. I put a piece of fabric on the arm of my couch and lay out the thread, thimbles, scissors, etc. When the cats are annoying (when aren't they??), I fold the excess fabric over the threads and then the cats will not leave their fur on my threads, or steal the threads and take them all over house playing, "chase the mousie".

In this case I used a large range of colors, and so it looks pretty. I honestly wish I were more organized so that the task of looking for what I need would be easier. Then I saw Laura Wasilowski's post and realized that it IS possible. And if you follow the link, you will get the added bonus of seeing Laura and Frieda playing with thread on their heads! :) It is however, unlikely that I will organize the big mess in my two box system. I might however, start using their method for the new skeins that I purchase. The seed has been planted... :)

Saturday, June 02, 2012

The Blue Birds and Their Orange House

I made this piece for the Alliance for American Quilts. I have recently joined this group, and decided to make a quilt for their fundraising efforts! The contest is called Home is Where the Quilt Is. Even the title is inspiring! It will tour first and then be auctioned off, I think eBay? You can see more details here. It is their annual contest with really awesome prizes. I am dreaming big and keeping my fingers crossed for that grand prize of a Sweet 16! It could happen, right? Well, here is my entry....

I just LOVE how sweet this little quilt is. Flag blowing in the breeze, flowers on the front deck. The baby bird with his mouth open, presumably chirping for food as the parents meet in mid air above him. It's just sweet and very appealing to me! Here is my statement about the quilt:

For me, home is all about love and
family. In this piece, a pair of blue birds greet each other while
their hungry baby chirps below. With a garden deck and a green
door, the orange house provides ample room for their family with room
to grow!

And, one very special thing about the Alliance is that after you submit your entry, they have you record your own voice reading the artist statement. I think that's pretty cool! Also, the Alliance has many other cool projects, one of which is interviews with quilters, Quilter's SOS, Save Our Stories. The interviews are available for listening, or reading the transcripts. I recorded one last fall, but it hasn't been transcribed yet. It was part of a project to record the oral interviews of quilters published in the book Lone Stars III: A Legacy of Texas Quilts. They interviewed so many of the quilters, that it is taking a while to process them all! I say the more the merrier!!